In Tudor London, Cheapside was the city's premier, bustling commercial hub and main market street, stretching between St Paul's Cathedral and Poultry. Known for its high-end shops, including the famous Goldsmiths' Row, it sold luxury goods, jewels, and fine cloth. It was also a vital, wide thoroughfare for royal processions and tournaments.
Cheapside was one of the main commercial streets in medieval London, and as such was important to the wealth and status of the city. It was used for both royal and civic processions, connecting some of the major landmarks such as St Paul's Cathedral and the Guildhall together.
During the Tudor period, London was rapidly rising in importance amongst Europe's commercial centers, and its many small industries were booming, especially weaving. Trade expanded beyond Western Europe to Russia, the Levant, and the Americas. This was the period of mercantilism.
Cheap derives from the Old English ceapan meaning 'to buy'; and Cheapside was used as a term for a 'market-place' or markets area. The name is found in many towns, but most famously in London where surrounding streets tells of the products sold there: Bread Street, Honey Lane, Milk Street, Poultry.
Fascinating Tudor London Walking Tour - Cheapside, Royal Exchange (4K)
Does Cheapside still exist?
Cheapside today is a street of offices and developments of retail outlets. It can no longer be described as "the busiest thoroughfare in the world" (as in Charles Dickens, Jr.'s day) and is instead simply one of many routes connecting the East End and the City of London with the West End.
Over in the City of London, you'll find Watling Street. Connecting Queen Victoria Street to St Paul's Cathedral (and offering a pretty gorgeous view in the process), Watling Street puts forward a fairly convincing case as the oldest street in London.
So far, however, no gold or jewels have been found. This doesn't mean that the treasure won't turn up some day – perhaps in the most unexpected of places. After all, it wasn't so long ago that Richard III's body was found underneath a car park.
Water was often unfit for drinking because it was contaminated with sewage. Instead of drinking water with their meals, people drank ale or mead and the rich drank wine. The poor ate a dark bread of rye, barley, or maslin (sometimes with pea or bean flour mixed in), and herb-flavoured soup called pottage.
Where did the smell come from? In the 1850s, waste of all types ended up in the River Thames. There was human poo and wee, dead animals, thrown-away food, industrial waste from riverside factories, and the bodies of anyone who drowned. In the streets, manure piled up from the horse-drawn carriages.
Does the Petticoat Lane market still exist in London?
A little confusingly, Petticoat Lane itself does not exist anymore. The Victorians felt the reference to undergarments was too racy and changed the name to Middlesex Street. That's where the main part of the market can be found along with stalls on surrounding streets.
The City of London is the oldest part of London, with the Romans settling here almost 2,000 years ago. Strolling around the City you can still see the surviving remains of the stone wall that was built around the Roman City of Londinium.
The four boroughs with the highest levels of child poverty are all in Inner and East London - Hackney, Islington, Tower Hamlets and Newham. In these boroughs, more than 40% of children are in poverty.
41 Cloth Fair – The Oldest House in the City of London. Some interesting facts about the house: A set of leaded windows within the property bear the signatures (etched with a diamond pen) of some rather famous visitors; Sir Winston Churchill and the Queen Mother to name just two!
What was London called before it was called London?
Before it was called London, the settlement was known by its Roman name, Londinium, established around 47 AD, which itself derived from an earlier Celtic name like Lowonidonion or Londonjon, meaning "place of the flowing river" or related to a "fort". After the Romans, it became Lunden or Lundenburh (London-fort) in Anglo-Saxon, eventually evolving into the modern London.
The Koh-i-Noor (Persian for 'Mountain of Light') is one of the largest cut diamonds in the world, weighing 105.6 carats (21.12 g). It is currently set in the Crown of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother.
Why is it illegal to take photos of the Eiffel Tower at night?
The tower's copyright has expired, so daytime images can be used for any purpose. At night, it's a different story. The tower's light installation (1985) is still protected under copyright. So, if you take and share a nighttime picture of the Eiffel Tower, you could be subject to copyright violations.
The crown jewels, including the Imperial State Crown, are cleaned every January as part of the official crown jeweler's contract. For your own collection, Prentice recommends cleaning your jewelry regularly, though how often depends on the item.
Little London is a residential area of Leeds in England, north of the city centre and Leeds Inner Ring Road. It is so called because in the 19th century it had fashionable housing and interesting architecture comparable to London.
A Visit To London's Oldest Shop: Lock And Co Hatters. I recently paid a visit to one of London's most iconic shops: Lock and Co Hatters in St James's. It is considered to be the oldest shop in London, but also is said to be the oldest hat shop in the world and is, amazingly, still run by the same family today.
